Tuesday, September 15, 2015

14 Old School Sacred Movies That Should Never be Rebooted

With reboots, filmmakers revamp and reinvigorate a film series in order to attract new fans and stimulate revenue. Some films, however, hit such a strong home run the first time round that they should never be touched. Here are 14 old school sacred movies that should never be rebooted, via NME.

1. The Godfather

Regularly voted the greatest films in cinema history, it would take a brave (and surely foolish) man to tackle this saga. While Marlon Brando's 'cotton wool in the cheeks' routine might be good fodder for dinner party impersonations, you wouldn't want to tackle the role of Vito Corleone in real life.

2. Taxi Driver

"You talkin' to me? You talkin' to me? Well, I'm the only one here…" And that's how it should stay. With De Niro as the only one to attempt his iconic portrayal of a troubled New York taxi driver pushed to the edge.

3. Goodfellas

Martin Scorsese's gangster classic Goodfellas occupies nearly as hallowed a space in movie lore as The Godfather. Here, however, the iconic leads are three-fold. Who would they get to play Robert DeNiro, Joe Pesci and Ray Liotta's roles now? Danny Dyer? Jason Statham? Best left alone.

4. The Shining

One of Jack Nicholson's most iconic roles, it would be impossible to imagine the film's unravelling protagonist Jack Torrance played by anyone else. The only exception? The Simpsons' 1994 'Treehouse Of Horror V' parody. Homer gave Jack a good run for his money.

5. Annie Hall

Almost certainly Woody Allen's finest hour, Annie Hall was literally made for its two central characters. The eponymous title role was written specifically for Diane Keaton, while no-one could play Alvy Singer like Allen himself. Subtle, nuanced and dryly witty, it's an understated classic that couldn't be bettered.

6. This Is Spinal Tap

While Spinal Tap has been remade in real life various times by the likes of Razorlight and Kasabian, the cinema version is a hilarious (and often a little too accurate) send-up of of the rock doc that still stands as the ultimate music spoof out there. Hollywood execs shouldn't go near this one with a ten foot trouser armadillo.

7. 2001: A Space Odyssey

Less of a case of "this shouldn't be remade", more a case of "good luck trying" – the technical prowess on show on Stanley Kubrick's legendary science fiction epic has yet to be rivalled all these years on. Even last year's 'Interstellar', which wore its love of Kubrick's masterpiece on its sleeve, fell short of the breathtaking artistry on display in the original.

8. Dr Strangelove Or: How I Learned To Stop Worrying And Love The Bomb

There are few character actors in film history who could play the unhinged and eccentric like Peter Sellers. In Dr Strangelove, Sellers plays three: the title character, President Merkin Muffley and Group Captain Lionel Mandrake. Vivid and varied, it's a tour-de-force from a true one-off.

9. To Kill A Mockingbird

Adapting Harper Lee's seminal 1960 novel, To Kill A Mockingbird, starring Gregory Peck, came out just two years later to equally universal acclaim. On one hand, a remake could highlight how little has changed for US race relations, but maybe a better call would be to tackle the current, understandable rage in places like Ferguson with an original script.

10. Harold and Maude

If Harold and Maude came out today, you wouldn't be able to move for outraged thinkpieces. The story of a 20-something-year-old boy obsessed with death who falls in love with a 79-year-old woman that teaches him about the joy of life, it's innocent in a way that 2015 could sadly never accept.

11. Midnight Cowboy

Featuring one of Dustin Hoffman's breakthrough roles as Ratso alongside Jon Voight's Joe Buck, Midnight Cowboy is so of its time that a modern-day remake would never do it justice. Alongside its stars, the film taps into Warhol's scene and burgeoning discussions around homosexuality: 2015 just wouldn't carry the same heft.

12. Kes

A gritty tale of a Northern lad and his pet kestrel, Kes is the kind of film that would likely turn into a hammy parody of how grim it is up north if it were remade today. Shane Meadows might just about manage the task, but let's not chance it.

13. Pulp Fiction

Where to begin? Tarantino proved beyond any doubt his status as American cinema's expert infant terrible with this whip-smart thriller, plugged into the coolest pop culture of the time. Any remake would be against the principles that make the notoriously sequel, reboot and rehash averse Quentin who he is.

14. The Shawshank Redemption

The thing about updating timeless movies is, what could you possibly add to them? Frank Darabont's telling of Stephen King's prison story is sublimely told – the pacing, the darkness, the chinks of light. There'd never be a need to repackage this for a new audience.

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